New England in a Nutshell: Quotations about the People, Places, & Particulars of Life in the Six New England States

Over 300 quotes, from Puritan fathers to Ray Magliozzi of Car Talk, capture the essence of New England.

What is New England all about, and why do so many cherish it so much? What exactly is a Yankee? And why are so many of them Red Sox fans?

Thought-provoking, laugh-provoking, here are over 300 quotations capturing the essence of life in New England. Weighing in are everyone from Captain John Smith to Louisa May Alcott to Car Talk s Ray Magliozzi. Together they capture New England s cherished places, personalities, institutions, and idiosyncrasies.

"There is no section in America half so good to live in as splendid old New England & there is no city on this continent so lovely & loveable as Boston." Mark Twain

"A Connecticut River Valley farmer . . . was told that his farm . . . was really in New Hampshire, instead of in Vermont as he d always thought. Thank God, he said, I didn t think I could stand another one of those Vermont winters. "

Evan Hill

"A man was cleaning the attic of an old house in New England and he found a box which was full of tiny pieces of string. On the lid of the box there was an inscription in an old hand: String too short to be saved. " Donald Hall

"Without going against Nature and abso-lutely defying the seasons, Rhode Island climate has as many variations as the solar system will permit." WPA Guide to Rhode Island

"Most people can live in Maine for years without learning what hot really means; some of them may never learn unless they leave the state." John Cole

"Massachusetts! A word surrounded with an aura of hope! A state with a soul! There is gathered up into her name the brilliant program of a new world." Wallace Nutting

"In no other part of the country are the rich so cheap. " John Sedgwick